The Invisible Wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [Infographic]

By Brian Wallace | Small Business

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a traumatic event. It can include symptoms such as nightmares, extreme anxiety and flashbacks. Some other names for PTSD include nostalgia, estar roto (Spanish for “to be broken”), shell shock and battle fatigue. PTSD can be caused by such things like combat exposure, childhood sexual or physical abuse, natural disasters, serious accidents or a terrorist attack. It’s still not fully understood why some people get PTSD while others do not. Whether or not someone acquires the condition typically depends on the intensity of the trauma, length of the trauma, degree of personal injury and proximity to the event.

There are four types of PTSD symptoms: re-living the event, avoiding situations that serve as reminders of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings and hyperarousal. It’s estimated that 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. About 30 percent of treated veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. PTSD is treated with psychotherapy and medication.

To learn more about PTSD and how you can help someone who may be suffering from the condition, please take a look at the infographic below.